I know exactly what you mean beadietux. I've come across all the types you mentioned. Some will even tell you that you don't need to perform techniques to maintain the lucid state because somehow they are taking care of that for you and the lucid dream will not collapse. Don't listen to this advice. You'll end up losing your mental faculties and waking up somewhat disappointed.

There is a way to manage contact with dream characters and achieve the best results. This can be another area of practice that will help you to tackle two common problems when you converse with them: silence or waking up. The other common problem is where you manage to communicate with one of them but what they tell you is nonsensical.

What must always be remembered when communicating with dream characters is simultaneously performing techniques to keep the lucid dream going. Have a background sensation like rubbing hands while you speak to them. Another one is to manifest vibrations by straining your dream self and keep them going throughout conversations. These background sensations will also help to prevent oneself from becoming too absorbed in what is being discussed to the point where the fact that one is dreaming is forgotten.

If you approach someone in a lucid dream who is unresponsive, do not force communication. Usually, when they are silent, they are reflecting our stresses or pessimistic expectations. Keep calm, treat them gently and opt for a passive interest in communication. If they still won't talk to you, find someone else.

By the way, sometimes it is hard to remember lucid dreams. Other times we seem to be missing part of our mental faculties in them. But our waking states don't differ that much. Just today, in waking life, me and my wife were watching a program on TV. Then she put a comedy DVD on and we could hear the sound from both because we have surround sound. It wasn't until she pressed the AV button a couple of times that it settled solely on the DVD sound and picture. Anyway, while the sounds of both TV and DVD aired, I thought that my kids had turned their telly on really loud when it was past their bedtime. I was about to go upstairs to tell them off when it dawned on me that it would really have been out of character of them to do that.

I had made an assumption about reality that didn't really fit the norm. All this when I was awake! Then I had my moment of lucidity. Our reasoning can fail us even in the waking state. Sometimes we can be like Shawn at the beginning of "Shawn of the Dead". The bloke is walking around zombies completely unaware as he goes about his daily routine. Meanwhile, the zombies seem more aware than him. I love that ironic part in the film.

"Empty cognizance of one taste, suffused with knowing, is your unmistaken nature, the uncontrived original state. when not altering what is, allow it to be as it is, and the awakened state is right now spontaneously present."

beadietux wrote: The bloke is walking around zombies completely unaware as he goes about his daily routine. Meanwhile, the zombies seem more aware than him. I love that ironic part in the film.

Great example...thanks Summerlander. And thanks for the suggestions on keeping myself from getting distracted by these crazy DC's. I think doing something wtih my hands will be the trick..that's my go-to RC.

Is there any way to prevent the whole Sleep Paralysis Monster situation? Or halt it when it starts to happen? It scares the ever loving crap outta me and it happens a lot more than I'd like it to... They always bust through my door and I'm frozen. Probably a good thing to cause if I could move I'd end up shooting holes in all my walls, haha.

So much you did; So much you did and so much more you would have done, aye, and all without a check or qualm, and so will the world end, I think, a victim of love rather than hate. For love's ever been the more destructive weapon, sure.

If it gets too much in terms of discomfort, however, don't stick around. Try to break the paralysis by calmly focusing on moving a finger. This is a good way to do it. Also, remind yourself that the presence is not real. If you feel that you are not ready to enter the lucid dream world in absolute terror, just abort.

I once heard an intruder during the hypnagogic state. He sounded like a big man coming up the stairs and growling that he was going to kill me. In terms of perception it was absolutely real. I was lucid enough to realise the unlikelihood of the situation even though I was still terrified. I found it hard to shake the fear but eventually I shouted: "Fuck off!" and the whole thing vanished.

If you wish to tackle these profound fears as a challenge next time you lucid dream, then go for it. But bear in mind that the lymbic system of the brain has a lot to do with the horrors that manifest during sleep paralysis and half-sleep states. The amygdala becomes active in SP and it is linked to emotional states such as fear. Sometimes this causes the release of adrenaline and you may sweat, sense a temperature change and get heart palpitations. It can be unpleasant but it is natural.

By the way, beadietux, I'm glad to be of help. I only wish I had been helped like this when I started. I'm so glad to see well-informed people like Rebecca around.

"Empty cognizance of one taste, suffused with knowing, is your unmistaken nature, the uncontrived original state. when not altering what is, allow it to be as it is, and the awakened state is right now spontaneously present."

The same happened to me once. I separated from the body and fell to the floor but my legs were still stuck inside the body I had left behind. Eventually, I broke free with force only to be chased by a giant spider in a darkened abode replica afterwards.

"Empty cognizance of one taste, suffused with knowing, is your unmistaken nature, the uncontrived original state. when not altering what is, allow it to be as it is, and the awakened state is right now spontaneously present."

Wow, that sounds nasty. While I was in the floor, although I was in my astral state I still felt some of the effects of paralysis which might explain why I wasn't floating. But, when I looked at my bed the covers were drawn back and it was empty apart from some kind of residue which, at first, looked like blood where I would have been laying.

I didn't respond in a while and it is not because I didn't read all the posts or am uninterested. I think this topic has a life of it's own and can go in any direction. (I think I may make a suggestion to Rebecca to make a topic-category about dream characters alone.)

Anyway, back to ME!

I had some more experiences with dream characters I would like to share and I will keep it brief.In one dream, I called out for someone to show up and sure enough someone did... it wasn't human but a bird of some kind. A crow or raven, black and big, and it landed on my forearm as if it were my friend. We spoke for a bit, it started speaking in a random-english-type-tongue, it even cracked a joke with me, but then after I asked if it thought independently from me and it said yes, I decided to play a little game. I said, I will think of a number and you should guess it. (By this time the bird was gone and I was just speaking to a voice that emanated from my head. Still different than talking to yourself because it answers beyond your control). Anyway, I thought of the number 3 in my head and it said, out loud for me to hear, "3". I thought 5, It said, "5". I thought, 6, 7, 8, 9, and it kept up with me as fast as I thought it. Then I tried to throw it off and thought, 2. It said "2". Even though it cleary said it thought independently from me, I knew and prove that it didn't. I never did tell it that though, I just kept it to myself.

And just last night I had one of those OBE type lucid dreams and some people came in my house. They were friendly, but I didn't will them to be there and left my house in search of a better dream. Ifelt bad and even apoligized to them. I basically said, you guys can have fun in the house, but I am leaving. It's not you... it's me. They had so much personality I actually felt guilty leaving the house and not wanting them around. I truly felt like I was hurting their feelings. They are the most realistic dream characters.

I completely forgot about this topic when in the lucid dream, and wish I had spoken to them. There is always next time. It's those really realistic ones with a personality I want to get to know.